Voters approved the Santa Monica-Malibu $385-million school facilities bond Measure ES with nearly 68 percent approval on Election Day.
Bond Measure ES needed a 55 percent “Yes” vote in order to pass. Money from ES will be used fund school facilities improvements in Santa Monica and Malibu. Malibu schools are guaranteed to receive $77 million of the bond funds.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District officials placed Measure ES on the ballot in a last-minute decision earlier this year. Supt. Sandra Lyon stressed the bond’s importance as the quality of buildings at schools such as Santa Monica High School continued to deteriorate. Many 100-year-old buildings on the campus are in dire need of upgrades, according to parents, community members and district officials.
The district has also promised to form a special site committee for Malibu schools. Local students, teachers, parents and community members are expected to be appointed to the committee to provide input on how SMMUSD should allocate Malibu’s $77 million portion of the bond money.
Here are the election results from the Santa Monica City Clerk’s office:
Measure ES
“Yes” votes: 21,981 (67.7%)
“No” votes: 10,472 (23.3%)